


It's the Thought that Counts

by PlagueDoctor31



Category: Evil Dead - All Media Types, Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Body Horror, Gift Giving, Herbert tries his best, M/M, and kind of succeeds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 04:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21422515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlagueDoctor31/pseuds/PlagueDoctor31
Summary: Herbert is acting strange, and Ash guesses that he's hiding something.
Relationships: Herbert West/Ash Williams
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	It's the Thought that Counts

Ash Williams could feel a presence looming over his shoulder, and it took all that he could to not yelp when he turned around in his seat to find Herbert West standing behind him.

“Jesus, Herb! You an expert of sneaking up on people or something?”

“What are you doing?” was all Herbert said in response.

Ash furrowed his brow in confusion. For once, he had found himself with some free time on his hands, and so decided to catch up on a little light reading, and by “light reading” he meant the backlog of Fangoria magazines he kept buying but never finding the time to read. So there Ash was, sitting in the plush living room chair with a beer in one hand and scanning over the pages of gore and article about gore in the other. That is, until he was interrupted.

“Reading,” Ash answered plainly, glancing back and forth between the magazine and his partner. Herbert’s brow wrinkled with confusion, as if the concept was foreign to him.

“I see that.”

Ash became keenly aware that Herbert was less looking at him and more at the issue in his hand. He held it up, letting the man get a closer look.

“It’s just Fangoria. You know, horror movies? I bet you Dan had a few of these. He seems like the type. At least, I hope he is.”

Herbert didn’t seem to pay much attention as his eyes still lingered on the pages. To Ash’s surprise, the man carefully plucked the magazine out of Ash’s hand and let his eyes scan over the words and pictures, even turning a page or two. This only made Ash, himself, more confused. Herbert may surround himself with dead bodies and reanimated organs practically every day, but Ash never really pictured him to be a gorehound or really into horror movies in general.

“And you… like this, yes?” Herbert finally asked, flicking his eyes back up at Ash.

In other instances, Ash might’ve felt himself becoming defensive, but there was something about the Herbert asked that, the sincerity in his voice. As Ash stared back at the man, Herbert quickly turned his head to the side to avoid his gaze.

“Yeah, you can say I like them. Why?”

“Just curious,” Herbert was quick to respond as he handed the magazine back to Ash. Ash opened his mouth to follow up the answer, but Herbert was already retreating back to the basement.

|----[--------------}-----

Ever since that strange exchange, Herbert’s behavior became even stranger. Well, stranger than normal anyhow. Ash had expected change to come slowly at the start of his and Herbert’s relationship, but this was a definite step backwards. He only saw glimpses of the man now. He was barely eating again, and he refused to come out when Ash knocked on the lab door. When Ash able to catch Herbert outside of his little sanctuary, Herbert would turn away and mumble an excuse before retreating again. Ash wasn’t so sure, but a few times this happened, he swore he saw Herbert’s cheeks go a bit pink.

However, Ash did catch the man coming home late after a graveyard shift (no pun intended) carrying home some suspicious bags. That only meant one thing: Herbert had a new project.

Relaying his concerned to Dan over the phone did little help, as the majority of Dan’s experience with Herbert was revolved around a similar situation.

“Just let him finish whatever he’s doing. Forcing him to do something else won’t get you anywhere.”

Ash sighed as he hung up the phone, having collapsed on his bed for the evening. Dinner was lonely, again. Watching TV was lonely, again. The whole house was silent, as if Ash was the only one living there anymore. He sighed finding little else to do now but reach down under his bed to find something else to entertain him. The box felt lighter than usual, causing Ash to furrow his brow in confusion… only for his eyes to widen in horror to find his box of Fangoria to be completely empty.

“Herbert!” _bam. Bam. BAM!_ “HERBERT!”

Ash pounded harshly on the door to the laboratory, trying not to become overwhelmed by the anger building up in his core. He raised his hand up again, but stopped as the faint sound of shuffling that could be heard over his seething. The shuffling was followed by the door locks clicking, and sure enough the door opened slowly and Herbert peeked out.

“Yes?” Herbert spoke, his voice soft, as if cautious.

“Have you seen my magazines?” Ash kept his voice as even as he could, but could feel his body growing hot and beginning to shake as he tried to keep a lid on things. Herbert opened his mouth, but hesitated to respond.

“No, I h—”

“Herbert.”

Herbert hesitated again, breathing harshly out through his nose and looking up at as with a steely glare, “Yes. I have them.”

Ash sighed, slightly relieved to have his suspicion confirmed, but his frustration refused to simmer. He matched Herbert’s glare with one of his own, and to his surprise Herbert recoiled slightly.

“Can I, at least, have some of them back?”

Herbert pursed his lips, looking reluctant, but held his grip on the door fast when Ash tried to pull the door open wider, “No! No. You can’t come in here.”

That made Ash frown grow deeper, “Why not?”

That blush Ash swore he saw earlier bloomed on Herbert’s cheeks, “Because I’m not done yet.”

“Done with what?”

Herbert refused to answer, opting to avoid his gaze which served the tell-tale sign that he was hiding something. Ash opened his mouth to press into him harder, but instead a voice came to his head, a recollection.

_“Just let him finish whatever he’s doing. Forcing him to do something else won’t get you anywhere.”_

“It’s alright.”

The baffled look of surprise on Herbert’s face when his eyes shot back towards Ash almost made him crack. It wasn’t often when Herbert let his poker face slip so obviously. The frustration simmered down, and Ash allowed himself to smile somewhat.

“It is kinda weird that you’re doing something other than experimenting, but it’s fine,” Ash reassured, watching the confusion linger on Herbert’s face as his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

“Oh… Alright,” was all the scientist could muster.

“But ask next time,” Ash turned to make his way back upstairs “And give them back when you’re done!”

|----[--------------}-----

The magazines returned to the box later that week, a fact Ash observed when he returned from work. A quick once over revealed every issue intact and spotless, like they were never touched in the first place. Ash looked at them in surprise, trying to picture the absolute care Herbert took in reading them. Was it because they weren’t his? Or more specifically because they were Ash’s? He couldn’t help but feel his cheeks heat up at the thought.

He took an issue from the stack and reclined onto his bed to read, only for the clearing of a throat to interrupt him. Ash looked up at who it was and nearly dropped the issue in his hands.

“Jesus, Herbert! What’re you, Batman!?”

Herbert stood in the doorway, perplexed by the comment, “I caught your attention this time.”

Ash huffed and sat up straighter, “What do you need, Herbert?”

“I need to show you something.”

It was Ash’s turn to be perplexed, “Show me something? What is it?”

“It’s…” Herbert shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking almost nervous “It’s a surprise.”

That didn’t help settle Ash’s confusion, but he couldn’t resist Herbert’s motion to follow him, and so he did.

“Can I guess what it is before I see it?” Ash pondered out loud as the two made their way down the stairs.

“You can.”

Ash paused, unsure what to make of his answer, “... May I--?”

“Yes you may.”

That brought a smile to Ash’s face as he continued to be led down to the basement. The gears spun in his head as he attempted to figure out what Herbert could’ve done. He has been in the lab for a week or so now, so perhaps he had something new to show off.

“You finished a new experiment, didn’t you?” Ash laughed “Looking for some praise? You could’ve just asked.”

The tips of Herbert’s ears seemed to grow pink in the low light of the basement, “It’s not that.”

The two stopped at the door to the lab, and Herbert turned to look up at Ash, once again taken aback by the returning look of sincerity in the scientist’s eyes.

“I made it for you, Ashley.”

All thoughts died in Ash’s mind at those words, dumbly watching Herbert open the door to the lab with his mouth hanging open is shock. Did Ash hear that correctly? Herbert made him something? The great Herbert West made a present for little old Ash Williams? Was that the reason for Herbert’s newfound curiosity for Ash’s Fangoria magazines? Ash’s heart was definitely beating faster as he was led into the lab, spotting something propped up on a table with a pristine white sheet draped over it. He hardly expected anything like this to come from Herbert, even if he opted to put on the rosiest of rose-tinted glasses when viewing the man.

Herbert broke away, stepping over the sheet-covered object. He turned to face Ash, and revealed a tight-lipped smile of sheer excitement and glee at being in the moment. It was infectious, for Ash found himself to be smiling as well as excitement grew more and more.

“Those pictures you look at, they take the body and turn it into an art form. It gives me newfound admiration for you, for I have to admit that I dabble in it as well.”

Ash’s smile grew wider. Damn, who knew Herbert West was a closeted gorehound as well? It really was Ash’s lucky day.

Wait. What did he mean by “dabble in it as well”?

The sheet was removed, and Ash’s expression changed from growing excitement to abject horror.

“Is there anything else you need, Ashley?”

Ash could only groan and shake his head as he kneeled over the toilet. His throat burned due to his lunch having come back up and having to be flushed away. His whole body felt shaken, both physically and emotionally. He knew Herbert was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, but lacked the energy to fully address him or even look at him. As he heard the sound of footsteps walked away, and a shudder wracked his body as he recalled the… the _thing_ that was shown to him only a few minutes ago.

_A vivisected torso sat on the end of the table, with stumps of the removed limbs cauterized and wrapped in bandages for what seemed to be some attempt as a cleaner presentation. Where were the limbs were now? Why, protruding out from the things back, of course! The legs twitched every other second or so, the toes curling and uncurling, while the arms sluggishly flailed about for purchase, grabbing at the air or itself. Fingers buried into stump of the subject’s neck, for there was no head there to grab. The head was resting inside a nest of intestines in the torso, gaping and gasping as its dead vacant eyes stared at nothing._

_Herbert looked on with pride at his newest creation, and turned to gauge Ash’s approval._

_“Well? What do you think?”_

That was when the wave of nausea hit Ash, which led him to his current position in the bathroom.

His hands trembled as Ash tried to steady himself against the porcelain throne. He had scene horrors that one could never believe thanks to a certain fleshy book, but this. This unnerved him. Those creatures were simply that: Creatures. Creatures wearing a human face, sure, but they were not human. The thing in the basement, however, was. It was born human, it died a human, and it was revived at one. It was like some twisted piece of modern art, and that’s what caused Ash to get such a reaction, but a pang of guilt pricked his heart. The reaction was probably not what Herbert anticipated at all.

Pushing himself to his feet, Ash steadied himself with the sink, knowing full well he’ll need to speak with Herbert to ensure things don’t get worse.

Sure enough, Herbert’s room was occupied when Ash reached it. The light was off, but the evening light streaming through the window revealed the small scientist sitting slumped on his bed.

“Hey, Herbie,” Ash attempted to keep things light. However, Herbert looked up at Ash with a hard expression. Ash let out a breath, carefully shuffling in the room and plopping down onto the bed with him. Herbert gave a small “Hm” in response, and Ash’s brow furrowed with concern.

“You okay?”

Herbert’s frown deepened, “You’re asking _me_ that?”

“Well, you’re not looking so hot either.”

Herbert did not respond, causing Ash to let out a sigh. He thought back to moments before the “present” was revealed, the look of excitement on Herbert’s face. Ash could see why his reaction would hurt. Herbert was an odd guy, Ash knew this. He was a morbid bastard that played with dead things as a hobby and displayed a habit of cracking some of the most fucked-up puns Ash has ever heard with the straightest face Ash has ever seen. Now that he thought of it, something like that thing should’ve been expected from Herbert.

“Why do you read the magazine if it makes you sick?” Herbert questioned.

“Excuse me?” Ash looked confused as Herbert looked at him.

“My creation made you sick, but the magazine didn’t. Why? I assumed if I replicated those pictures, you’d be interested in assisting me in my word, but… I was wrong.”

The way Herbert seemed forced to admit that he made an error in judgement made the prick in Ash’s heart return. He couldn’t help but feel sorry. It’s not like the man had many friends, let alone experience a loved one. Ash should’ve known that Herbert would try to appeal to Ash’s interests. It could be worse, Ash considered, much much worse. The thing was haunting, yes, but Ash recognized that Herbert was trying.

Before he knew it, he had his arms wrapped around the small scientist in a hug.

“Thank you.”

He felt Herbert shift in his grasp to look up at Ash with wide eyes, “What?”

“You were trying to do something nice, so thank you.”

Ash flashed a reassuring smile before pecking Herbert on the cheek, causing Herbert to wrinkle his nose and groan.

“Your breath stinks, Ashley.”

Ash grinned, “Does it? Well, I guess I’ll be mindful where I put my mouth.”

Ash dipped his head down, kissing the crook of Herbert’s neck that he knew would cause him to squirm even more. Sure enough, Herbert was indeed squirming as the two fell onto the bed together. Ash always did enjoy the perspective of being on top of him, observing the man’s flushed frown and crooked glasses. Herbert raised an eyebrow up at Ash.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Ash grinned, “Nope.”

Ash dipped his head back down to Herbert’s neck, delighting in the hitching of the other man’s breath as he reached up and began to gradually unbutton the top half of that crisp white button shirt. Ash trailed his kisses down, along the neck, the clavicle, and finally the sternum before pausing. Ash regarded the newly exposed patch of skin and tilted his head to press his ear against it.

“Ash?” Herbert cleared his throat to voice his confusion “What are you doing?”

Ash smiled contently, “Just checking…”

He silenced himself, filling his ears with the deep drumming inside Herbert’s chest. If he wasn’t careful, he could fall asleep to that sound. Satisfied, he looked up at his partner.

“I was right. You do have a heart.”

Herbert’s face when bright red, as his fumbled over his words in a flustered derailment of his train of thought. He stammered for a response, but Ash leaned back up to rest his forehead against Herbert’s.

“What’s the matter?” Ash asked coyly “Cat got your tongue?”

“Ashley…” Herbert spoke barely above a whisper, that soft voice making Ash shiver in his very core. He let his eyes flutter shut as he leaned in for a kiss.

Herbert, however, covered Ash’s mouth with his hand, “Mouthwash is needed if you intend to go any further.”

Ash blinked in surprise, and let out an amused huff. If it was going to be like that…

He gave Herbert’s palm a little kiss before bounding off the bed and back towards the bathroom with renewed excitement in his step, knowing full well he and Herbert will not be getting much sleep tonight. He didn’t mind, as long as he had that warm heartbeat keeping him company. Who knows? Perhaps later he could try to get Herbert hooked on his own interests.

And this time, Ash felt a lot more confident in his odds of success.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while, hasn't it? Between school and real life, I'm really happy to write a new piece for all of you. Let me know what you think, and I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! ^_^


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